Ringside Report Looks Back at Former World Champion Steve Collins

By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart

It is now 100 years since the partition of the island of Ireland into the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland. Celebrations have been muted as one side of a very divided community has celebrated whilst the other has mourned the loss of their country.

One of the unifying elements of that island has always been sport. Whether the jersey of one rugby team has encapsulated the hearts of both sides or a boxer who has climbed into the ring has brought two warring factions together it has brought some kind of peace – most of the time though there are some notable exceptions.

It is sad, but the reality is that for many in the United Kingdom we tend to see Irish stars through that lens.

In boxing in the north most recently Carl Frampton and his former mentor Barry McGuigan have managed to draw the two sides together in harmony, but for those fighters from the south of the isle their distinction has mainly been to triumph the Celtic Tiger by showing its bite in the four cornered circle.

One such man was Steve Collins, 36-3, 21 KO’s. The Celtic Warrior takes his place as one of the titans of the European middleweight/super middleweight times of the 1980’s and 1990’s when he fought the cream of British boxing – Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn – and held the WBO titles at both middle and super middleweight.

He was a brilliant boxer in the professionals, but it was built upon solid foundations. As an amateur he amassed an incredible 26 national titles. Quite unusually his story in the professional ring did not start in his own country. It began in the USA. His first foray into the business began with the defat in 1986, when he stopped Julio Mercado in the 3rd round in Lowell.

Whilst fighting in the USA, in Boston, on the 18th of March 1988, he beat the undefeated, former Olympian Sam Storey on points for the BUI Ireland National Title! In 1989, in Atlantic City he added the USBA middleweight title when he beat Kevin Watts – who at the time I believe was highly ranked – on points; he got off the canvass in the 11th round to achieve that win! He then defended it successfully later that same year, once more in Atlantic City where he got a majority decision over Tony Thornton.

From that early promise he managed to get himself not one but three title opportunities – once for a European belt and twice for the WBA middleweight crown.

His first foray at world level was as a late replacement in his first WBA title fight, in Boston, against Mike McCallum on the 3rd of February 1990 and was a loss – on points. Michael Watson had been forced to withdraw as he had been injured in training and Collins stepped in. It was Boston, and buoyed by a raucous Irish American crowd, Collins came on strong in the later rounds of the fight but

The European title challenge saw him travel to Italy, 6 months later and on the 22nd of October, 1992, he lost a majority decision to Sumba Kalambay, for the EBU middleweight strap.

His second bite at the cherry was against Reggie Johnson on the 22nd of April, 1992 in East Rutherford when he lost by majority decision. It was another tough fight with both in a war of attrition. The fight had come about because Mike McCallum had been stripped of the title as he had signed to fight IBF champion James Toney.

Today many a fighter would be called upon to quit and consider his future as such blows would be called by many – too much from which to recover.
But, oh boy, how did he manage to recover…

On the 11th of May 1994, he stopped Chris Pyatt, in Sheffield, in the UK, in the 5th round and took the WBO title at his third, and luckiest world championship challenge. It was a title he never defended as he was struggling to make weight and up, he went from middle to super middleweight.

And who was he to meet when he made the leap upwards? The man, the myth and the undefeated Chris Eubank. On the 18th of March 1995, Collins handed him his first career defeat which provided him with his second weight world title, this time at super middleweight, but again courtesy of the WBO. Ironically, as with the McCallum fight, Collins had been a late replacement, though this time he had learned plenty form his previous experience. The fight took place in Cork, Ireland and provided the paying public with the type of spectacle you expected from a fight involving the singular Eubank; except it was not Eubank pulling the stunts.

At the press conference Collins turned up in tweed suit resplendent with cap and two Irish Wolfhounds. Eubank was upstaged – for the very first time.

Collins let it be known he had recruited a guru/ hypnotist. He played the game to perfection, with steely eyes between rounds and not moving as if he was deep in his trance. Collins had entered to the Rocky theme tune, stood with headphones on whilst Eubank entered in what seemed a deliberate snub and was allegedly able to capitalize on the while unsettling nature of the fight. Eubank had, in Collins’ eyes been avoiding him for years. When his original opponent had pulled out, the broadcaster, Sky had let it be known that this fight was what they were ordering, and they got it.

Eubank got a rematch and was handed his second defeat as Collins defended successfully in the same year, September, though it was a split decision, back in Cork. Collins was masterful and managed to win over all who watched the fight, winning by wide margins on everyone’s scorecards – except the judges!

There followed further defenses, all of them successful – in 1995, a points win in Dublin against Cornelius Carr; in 1996, an 11th round stoppage of Neville Brown in Millstreet, and then in Manchester when he stopped Nigel Benn in the 4th in July, before retiring him in the 6th round of their rematch back in Manchester in November; in Millwall in 1997, a 5th round stoppage of Frederic Seillier and in July in Glasgow a 3rd round stoppage of Craig Cummings.

It may have been the summer of 97, but it was to be the autumn of Collins’ career. He was due a day of reckoning against a young man making his way and making huge waves in the sport – Joe Calzaghe. The undefeated Welshman was on his way to becoming, arguably, the best British fighter of all time but Collins had another ring legend on his mind – Roy Jones Jr. he wanted the showdown with the pound for pound king. It was never to happen and so the fight with Calzaghe was also never to happen which disappointed more than most as the possibility of seeing the Irishman straddle two eras – one with Eubank and Benn and then with the new crop of fighting talent was denied.

The fact was that Jones was the only fight he wanted to get out of his silk pajamas for. He no longer was looking for any kind of payday – he just wanted to fight Jones. But he and Mr. Jones were never to get it on and the final fight in Glasgow as to be exactly that – his final fight.

Retired in 1997, Collins’ legacy is assured in Ireland but more complex on the UK shores. He took on and beat England’s two best, twice, replaced another in a world title fight once and proved himself to be one of the best of his country, but also one of the best of any country in a ring shared with many worthy of legendary status who could not beat him.

It is indeed a complex history and perhaps the best from a Republic of Ireland fighter can be is a unifying figure who unites those of us, no matter what nationality, in admiration of their career. Collins manages that in absolute abundance.

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